Jupiter Christian alum Keegan Southard 2G, King’s Academy alum Brad Wharton 1G/1A/1CTO, Jupiter Christian alum Caleb Southard 1G, King’s Academy alum Austion Nelson 1G/2GBs for PBA. Providence alum Guy Bistrow 3G/3A, Lake Mary alum Chase Strait 6 Saves for Saint Leo.

BOX SCORE

Men’s Lacrosse Stuns No. 20 Saint Leo

by Cole Helman, Director of Athletic Communications

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men’s lacrosse team hosted No.20-ranked Saint Leo on Saturday.

The Sailfish were riding high after celebrating 11 seniors before the game. The momentum rolled into the game. The Sailfish took down the ranked Lions, 15-12, including a seven-goal second quarter. The victory was PBA’s first ranked win under head coach Jesse Vanatta and is PBA’s first ranked win since defeating the New York Institute of Technology in 2019.

Hunter Hopman led the way for PBA’s offense, scoring four goals and notching two assists. Cooper Porter found the back of the net three times. Keegan Southard added two goals of his own. Henry Sloyan recorded two goals. Brad Wharton, Caleb Southard, Jake Bacilek, and Austin Nelson also scored for the ‘Fish.

Brendan Pedisich got the win in goal. He recorded 11 saves and six groundballs in the game. Hunter Sheffield led the PBA defense with four caused turnovers and two groundballs. Ty Wright added three caused turnovers and five groundballs on his own.

After an even 4-4 first quarter, the momentum shifted when the Sailfish opened the second quarter on a 7-1 run to take an 11-5 lead. SLU got one back before halftime, but PBA held an 11-6 lead at the half. Saint Leo scored the first two goals after the break, but PBA answered with a 3-1 run to make it 14-9 going into the fourth quarter.

PBA held on down the stretch to seal the game 15-12. The win marks the first SSC win of the season and the first league win since 2022.

The Sailfish hit the road on Wednesday to face Lynn. The game in Boca Raton starts at 6 p.m. 

*****

#20 Men’s Lacrosse Drops SSC Road Game to PBA

by George Hillen | Manager of Athletic Communications

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 20th-ranked Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team lost 15-12 on the road at Palm Beach Atlantic in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) contest on Saturday afternoon.

After falling back by one goal, the Lions answered with a pair of goals to claim a 2-1 edge while sophomore John Raucci scored unassisted before sophomore Greg Palmer found the back of the net at the 5:07-mark off a feed from senior Guy Bistrow. The Sailfish countered with a pair of goals of their own to grasp a 3-2 advantage with 2:15 remaining in the opening quarter. 13 seconds later, sophomore Owen Wills knotted the game up at 3-3 followed by Bistrow scoring at the 1:46-mark by way of junior Carson Bulger. However, PBA tied the game at 4-4 in the closing seconds of the first frame.

The Sailfish scored the first four goals of the second quarter to grab an 8-4 advantage until Palmer found sophomore Aiden Knoetgen to lace a goal and trim the deficit to 8-5. However, the Sailfish tallied a trio of goals to claim an 11-5 margin. With 1:27 left in the second frame, Plamer assisted Bistrow on a goal as the Lions cut the deficit to 11-6 at halftime.

Coming out of intermission, Saint Leo built momentum as junior Xan Hayes and sophomore Zach Kroog registered the opening goals of the third quarter while the Sailfish only held an 11-8 lead. PBA answered the Lions’ two goals with two goals of its own to recapture a five-goal lead, 13-8. With less than a minute left in the third frame, sophomore Ben Baker blasted a goal off a dish from Bistrow, 13-9. The Sailfish ended the third quarter with a goal and started the final quarter with a goal to grasp a 15-9 lead midway through the fourth. The Lions fought back with three-straight goals while Kroog, Knoetgen and Bistrow all found the back of the net, however, the Lions did not get possession of the ball for the remainder of the game.

Senior Michael Flores was effective at the X as he went 21-for-25 in faceoffs and tied a career-best 18 groundballs.

Bistrow finished the game with six total points that featured three assists and three goals while Palmer collected three assists and one goal. Knoetgen tallied two goals and two assists, additionally, Raucci posted a goal and an assist while Kroog notched a pair of goals. In the net, senior Chase Strait collected six saves in the complete-game effort.

The Lions return to action on Wednesday, April 10 as they host No. 3 Tampa in SSC action at 7:30 p.m.